Even Spider Monkeys Fall
by Tortuguin
Summary: A routine investigation of a drug dealer hiding in the backwoods of Virginia turns into an unexpected adventure as accidents occur and friendships reach new levels. TIVA. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So, this is my first NCIS fic, but please don't let that cloud your judgment. Please give me criticism! I don't get offended easily, so feel free to be as harsh as you like. I just want feedback! Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: NCIS no es mio.**

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"Ziva, where the hell did you go?" a frustrated, panting DiNozzo called through the dense woods of Channels State Forest in Virginia, where their latest case had brought them. The pair had been wandering through the woods in pursuit of an evasive drug dealer for the majority of the morning, and the senior field agent was beginning to lose his patience.

"I am up here, Tony. Feeling a little out of form, yes?" Ziva replied with a smirk, climbing the giant oak with such ease, she made spider monkeys look incompetent.

"Out of shape, Zee-vah. And no, I'm just peachy. We've been wandering around out here for 3 hours and haven't found even a gum wrapper to point us in some direction of human life! What are you doing, if you don't mind me asking, Spiderwoman?"

"I am climbing a tree, Tony," she stated, as if it were the most obvious observation in the world.

"I see that, Tarzan. Why?"

"This is the tallest tree in the area. If I can climb to the top, I will be able to see the surrounding area with at least a half mile radius. Perhaps I will be able to locate our bandit, no?" she called down, as she reached the taller branches of the oak.

"Fine, Ziva. But I'm not calling the fire department when you can't climb down by yourself," Tony goaded as he took a seat at the base of the trunk, pulling out a map of the state forest and marking the ground they had covered in the last hour.

"DiNozzo, the only—" Ziva's words were cut off by a loud cracking sound and her own gasp as the branch on which she was previously standing suddenly gave away and she found herself falling through the air, quickly picking up velocity as she neared the ground.

Tony watched in horror as his partner fell from her lookout position, approximately 30 feet above the mossy ground. _"DiNozzo, do something! Catch her, you idiot!"_ But despite the forceful commands of his cranium, Tony remained rooted in place, staring in horror as Ziva neared the ground. It was not until he heard the combined thud, snap, and groan caused by the abrupt landing of his partner that Tony snapped out of his panic stricken paralysis and jumped into action.

"Ziva, shit! Are you okay?" he cried as he scrambled towards her, fearing the worst.

"Ughh…" Ziva groaned as she sat up. "Tony I am fine, just had the wind punched out of me," she lied. Her right leg was throbbing and her ribs hurt as she inhaled and exhaled, but Ziva was not about to let Tony see her in pain.

"Knocked out of you. You just had to wind knocked out of you. And that's a lie, Ziva. I heard something snap. And I can see it in you eyes. What hurts?" he probed with a worried expression as he tried to help her up.

"Tony, I am fine. I do not need your assistance," Ziva snapped, her pain only increasing as she attempted to stand up, pushing away Tony's outstretched hand. She let out a gasp as she put weight on her right leg, which promptly collapsed beneath her.

Tony grabbed her around the waist before she could hit the ground, and pulled her closer, throwing her arm around his shoulders and pulling her closer in order to take some of her weight.

"Right Zi, you're fine. C'mon, we're gonna sit down and take a look. Anything else hurt? Tell me the truth, Ziva. I know you want everyone to think you are invincible, but obviously that's not the case. Even spider monkeys fall and get hurt sometimes," Tony stated caringly as he eased her to the ground directly beneath the tree, allowing her to rest her back against the trunk of the oak.

"I think I bruised a few ribs on other branches on the way down. And my wrist hurts from where I landed on it, but it is not so bad. Probably only a sprain," Ziva conceded, with her head down, unable to meet Tony's eyes, as she admitted to being in pain, to being weak.

As Ziva told him of her other injuries, Tony rolled up the pant leg of her brown cargos to get a better look at her injured leg and felt sick to his stomach as he saw the bruising and swelling of her ankle and shin bone. But what really made him want to vomit was the odd angle at which the bones in her shin had bent themselves. Broken tibia, for sure.

Ziva peered over her partner's probing arms to see for herself the damage to her leg, and immediately regretted it. Before she had seen it, the pain had been dulled by adrenaline and shock, but now she was hit full force with the urge to hurl the contents of her stomach all over the tree's roots. She had broken bones before, but the pain never seemed to lessen.

"Zi, we've gotta get you to a hospital. This is bad. I'm gonna splint these sticks to your leg with my jacket. Give me your belt to tie everything together." Tony requested as he took of his NCIS jacket and began to gently wrap it around her wounded leg, placing two sturdy-looking sticks on either side of her shin for support, and finally tying it all off with Ziva's brown leather belt.

Meanwhile, Ziva held her breath, fighting the pain as Tony poked and prodded her leg in an effort to secure the splint.

"Here, take some aspirin. I've only got a few left, but take two now and we'll save the other two for later," Tony offered as he pulled out a bottle of pills from his backpack and gave her the remnants of his water bottle from earlier in the morning.

"Tony, that is not necessary. I am Mossad. We are taught to deal with pain," Ziva contradicted, though they both knew she really wanted to take the pills.

"I don't care if you're Wonder Woman or Arnold Schwarzenegger, take the damn pills Ziva," Tony retorted as he dropped the pills into her good hand and waited for her to pop them into her mouth before handing her the water bottle. "Now according to this map, it's about 7 miles back to where we started. We need to start out soon if we want to make it back before dark. You up for it?"

Ziva nodded with a look of determination in her eyes, as she tried to stand up, groaned as she pushed off of her sprained wrist.

"Ziva, let me help you," Tony stated as he bent down and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her slowly to her feet. "Put your weight on me, Zi. You're not _that _heavy," he joked, trying to distract her from the overwhelming pain he knew she was feeling as they took their first steps in the direction they had come.

Ziva attempted a small smile that turned out to be more of a grimace, as she once again took a step with her right foot, her broken bones angrily protesting the movement. She breathed out in a hiss, trying to control the tears pricking the back of her eyelids as she fought the intense pain. _"One step at a time, Ziva. Do not cry. You have already shown enough weakness._" She thought to herself. It was going to be a long journey back to the car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again! Twice in one day… not gonna happen often, but I've got some free time, so, here's chapter 2. This chapter is kinda a filler, but I promise the next one will have some action. Buen provecho!**

Tony looked over to check on his partner again. Ziva didn't even notice as she kept her eyes trained on the forest floor in front of her, trying to maintain an even breathing pace to ease her discomfort. Tony noticed she was sweating bullets and was beginning to look a little pale in the face, a clear indicator that the tough assassin was indeed in pain, despite what she wanted him to believe.

"Ziva, why don't we take a break? We've gone a little over a mile, and we're making good time. We can afford to stop and breath for a sec. Plus, I'm gonna see if we have cell reception yet," suggested Tony, knowing that the Mossad officer would never suggest doing such a thing herself, although the relief in her eyes at the suggestion clearly demonstrated her need to rest.

Ziva simply nodded wearily in response, hissing loudly as she eased herself to the ground to sit against a large boulder with Tony's assistance. He pulled out his cell phone and waved it around, failing yet again to get a signal in the area. Tony snapped it shut and replaced it in his pocket.

"How ya doin' Zi?" questioned Tony, trying to start conversation to distract his partner.

"I have been better, Tony. But it is not so bad. The aspirin seems to have taken the point off."

"The edge. And good, I'm glad it's working. Do you want some water?" he asked, holding out the half-full bottle.

"Tony, I think we should save it for later. We still have 6 miles to cover. I will drink some later." Ziva replied. _"Always the rational one, even hopped up on aspirin and clearly hurt," _Tony thought.

"Alright, then. Let's get movin'. I don't want to have to resort to ludicrous speed later on," he joked, trying to get Ziva to smile, but the _Spaceballs_ reference was clearly lost upon her confused face.

As they set off again, Tony noticed Ziva putting slightly more weight on his shoulders, a subconscious indicator that the trip was taking more of a toll on her tired body than she let on.

Tony decided to try and distract her with some sort of activity that would keep her focused on something other than her leg and the distance they had yet to cover.

"Zi, let's play a game. Would you rather—you have to come up with two options and the other person has to choose one of the two. It's easy. Only rule is, you have to choose one."

"Fine. You start." Ziva welcomed the distraction as her leg and wrist started to throb more as they covered more territory at their tortoise-like pace.

"Would you rather have to deal with Gibbs the day Starbucks goes out of business, or sit through a 3 hour lecture given by McNerd on the complexity of webcode?"

"Gibbs. First, Starbucks will never close. Not as long as Gibbs is around. And even if it did, Gibbs has other methods of retrieving his lifeblood, DiNozzo," Ziva shot back. "Would you rather kiss Jenny in front of Gibbs or be forced to go on a double date with Palmer?"

After much pondering, Tony replied, "As much as I would love to kiss Jen, I'm pretty sure Gibbs would snipe me in my sleep if he knew. I'm gonna have to go with the Autopsy Gremlin." Tony grimaced at the thought. "Would you rather go to a Brain Matter concert with Abs or spend the right watching every single John Wayne movie ever made with me?" he asked, expecting Ziva to chose Abby knowing her partiality towards the goth and her impartiality towards long periods of time spent with himself.

Thus, when Ziva replied, "You," he looked up at her trying to hide his surprise and quirked a half smile. Ziva simply raised an eyebrow and met his eyes with a tired stare.

In that moment, Ziva lost her footing on the slippery, moss covered ground and stumbled, stepping heavily on her right leg, eliciting a small yell as jolts of pain shot all the way up her thigh and down to her toes.

Tony caught her around the waist and righted her again, allowing her to hold onto him with both arms and lean against his chest as she tried to catch her breath and block out the pain once more. As tears filled her eyes she quickly thrust her face into Tony's shoulder, unwilling to release her grip around his neck to wipe them away.

"You okay there, Sweetcheeks?" Tony asked, concerned for his partner, and kicking himself for not being more careful to look out where they were walking.

"Fine, my Hairy Butt," Ziva hissed. "Let us keep walking. We still have 5 miles to go."

The pair continued on in silence, Tony keeping a watchful eye out for any other disturbances in their path, Ziva fighting to ignore the stabbing pains that arose every time she took as step.

About 30 minutes and one mile later, the two heard an ominous clap of thunder and looked up to see angry dark clouds, swirling overhead, ready to let loose what looked to be a monsoon's worth of rain.

"Shit, we'd better find somewhere to wait out the storm. We don't want a _Twister_ reenactment," Tony said as he glanced around, looking for somewhere to sequester themselves from the already quickly falling droplets of rain.

"Tony, that is unnecessary. We shall continue. It is simply a little rain," retorted the stubborn assassin, clearly wanting to return to the car as soon as possible.

"Sweetcheeks, it's too dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt any worse. Come on, I see a small cave over there. The storm should be over in less than an hour, you could use the rest anyway."

Ziva grunted and nodded submissively as the pair made their way over to a small, dark cavern embedded in the side of a cliff-like overhang of sheet rock and lowered themselves to the ground, leaning against the far wall of their asylum.

"Zi, why don't you try to sleep? I'm sure you'll need your strength for the rest of the trip. I'll keep watch." Tony patted his legs, signaling Ziva to lay down and put her head in his lap. Tony grabbed his backpack and reached over Ziva's slender torso, gently lifting her injured leg and resting it upon the knapsack in order to elevate it slightly.

Ziva closed her eyes, trying to block out the dull throbbing in her leg, chest, and wrist, and listened to the rain, not falling in steady, hard cascades. She thought of the situation she was currently in… _"Tony is being awfully considerate to me. Very out of person… that is wrong. But I am too tired to care. I hope the rain stops soon." _And with that, she drifted off into a light, but deeply needed slumber.

Meanwhile Tony worried over his partner's appearance. She was still sweating, despite the slight chill in the air and her face had even less color than before.

Tony checked his phone once more, and was once more disheartened by the lack of bars present in the upper left-hand corner of the small screen.

He carefully unbuttoned his light blue button down shirt, not wanting to disturb his partner, and laid it across her torso, trying to protect her from the wind as best he could. Though it left him in nothing but a white v-neck undershirt, Tony did not mind. _"It's Ziva," _he thought to himself, _"of course she's worth a little chilliness. When we get back, I'm so looking forward to a slice of steaming hot pizza. Mmmmm…. Damn, this rain better let up soon."_

**Please REVIEW!! Flame if you must, just lemme know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter 3…. I'm not sure how it turned out. I was super tired when I wrote it. Please review, good or bad! Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: NCIS no es mio**

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Tony was left with his thoughts while his partner slept silently, head in his lap.

"_Ziva's not snoring. Odd. God, she usually sounds like an asthmatic trucker. Maybe her ribs are bugging her. She really is too tough for her own good. She should just tell me the truth about how much pain she's in. I could help her more easily. But of course, she's Mossad. She doesn't show pain. My ninja's too proud. _

_Wait… why do I even care? And when did she become my ninja? Well, she's my partner, of course it's natural to care about her. And I guess it gives me possession of her. Sort of. I'm pretty sure Ziva would have already killed me with 12 out of the 18 ways she can do so with a paperclip if she knew I was thinking this. Even in her current state._

_Damn, she's beat up. I hate seeing her like this. I'd switch places with her in a heartbeat if I could. Then again, that would have involved me climbing a 3 story giant oak, which would in all likelihood never happen, unless I was severely inebriated. Even then, doubt I would make it past the first few branches. _

_Focus, DiNozzo, you have a job to do. God, I need Gibbs, he'd get us out of this mess. But I guess even Gibbs can't control the weather. We're stuck here until it lets up. This reminds me of that scene in…."_

While Tony was lost in his mental replay of an episode of "Walker Texas Ranger", Ziva began to stir in her sleep. At first it was just a barley noticeable flickering of her eyelids, but as she began thrashing about and whimpering as if in pain, Tony snapped out of his reverie.

"_Shit, she must be having a nightmare. What do I do? Wake her up? But she needs to sleep. But this can't be good for her ribs. Or leg. Or wrist. Ugh I have to wake the ninja. Last time this happened, I had a gun to my cheekbone…. Great."_

Tony gently shook her shoulder. "Ziva, Ziva, wake up. You're having a nightmare. Come on, Zi, wakey, wakey!"

At the sound of her partner's voice, Ziva's eyes shot open as she gasped for breath and tried to sit up.

"Easy does it Zi, lie down. You're okay, you just had a bad dream. You're safe here. Relatively. I mean, we are stuck in a cave in the middle of the woods without cell phone reception and you can't walk… but you're still safe…." Tony rambled on, as Ziva just looked at him in confusion, still trying to regulate her breathing.

It wasn't until Tony asked her if she was cold that Ziva realized she was shaking.

"No, I am fine, Tony. Here is your shirt, you should put it back on. Gibbs will be upset if you get sick," Ziva lied. She really was cold, though that was not the reason she was shaking.

Her brain flashed back to the nightmare she hadn't had in probably 15 years.

"_Ziva, Ziva, you can't catch me! You can't catch me!' a boy, who looked to be around the age of 6, chanted in excited Hebrew, running up the stairs and out onto the flat, tiled roof of the David's multi-storied house in Tel Aviv._

'_Aaron, the rules for hide and seek specifically say you cannot hide on the roof! Cheater!' cried an upset Tali. Ever the rule follower…._

'_You had better run, Aaron, I will get you!' joked a 12 year old Ziva, running after the smaller boy. She enjoyed making her little brother laugh. He was the youngest and most innocent of them all._

'_Zivaleh, you're too slow!' he cried, as he turned around and stuck out his tongue at his older sister, still running in the opposite direction of his pursuer._

'_Aaron, watch out!' screamed Ziva, too late, as she watched her baby brother trip over the small wall, bordering the edge of the roof. Watching in horror as his angelic face, now contorted in surprise and fear, disappeared over the edge of the wall._

_Ziva and Tali sprinted over to the side of the roof and peered over the edge, only to find a motionless heap of limbs, all bent in unnatural positions."_

"Zi, you okay? You kinda zoned out there," Tony probed, noting his partner's glaze over expression and tear filled eyes.

"Yes Tony, I am fine. It was nothing," she hastily replied. Looking away from Tony when she realized her eyes were moist.

"Sweetcheeks, I can tell when you're lying. Just tell me. What was your dream about? Or is it your leg that's bothering you?"

To be honest, Ziva had completely forgotten about her injuries; she had been too consumed in her nightmare to notice. Her leg throbbed in increasing pain, and her ribs seemed to catch fire every time she took a breath. She glanced down at her wrist and noticed it had turned a nice shade of purple and had begun to swell. But none of this mattered to her as she tried to rid her thoughts of her long-forgotten dream.

Her attempts to forget the nightmare only made matters worse as the thoughts refused to leave her mind. She began to shake more noticeably and her eyes welled up with tears once again, this time with such force that one managed to escape before she could wipe it away.

"Zi, do you wanna sit up? You seem cold. Here, lean against me, you'll be warmer," Tony suggested, thinking she was shaking out of lack of warmth instead of reliving the horrible nightmare. He sat her up as she cautiously slid her way between his legs, leaning against his chest, as he put his arms around her, careful not to jar her sensitive ribs. She had to admit, this was a lot warmer.

Tony gently reached over and lifted her right leg onto the backpack once more the elevate it, before returning his warm embrace around her torso.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he gently asked, noticing Ziva was still shaken by whatever had caused her to wake up in such a panic. "When I was younger, I used to have a stuffed dog—no mocking, I was like 8, that I used to sleep with. Whenever I had a bad dream, I used to retell it to Buddy and it seemed to make it less scary."

Ziva gave him a half smirk at his concession and took a deep, shuddering breath as she began, "When I was twelve, my 6 year old brother died," she stated bluntly, trying to distance herself from the situation.

"Wait, you had a brother?" questioned Tony, "I thought you had a sister named Tali?"

"Yes, I had a brother. And a sister as well. Both are dead now." "_Actually two brothers," _Ziva thought, thinking briefly of Ari.

"We were playing hide and seek, as I think you call it here. The kind where you must chase the person after you have found them. Aaron decided to run onto the roof. As I was chasing him, he lost his footing a slipped over the edge. Our house was 4 stories. He died on impact. That is what the doctors said. My father never forgave me. In his eyes, I am responsible for the death of his only heir." Ziva sucked in a sharp breath, trying to control her emotions as she finished telling Tony a secret she had never told anyone else before.

Tony didn't know what to say. He knew Ziva wouldn't care for an "I'm sorry" or a "That's awful." So he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled her closer to him, taking her ice-like hands in his own and wrapping her in a sincere, and hopefully comforting embrace.

At Tony's surprising actions, Ziva's eyes once again filled up with tears. _"Ziva, you are crying more today than you have in the past 4 years. Get a handful of yourself. Be grateful that your back is to Tony so he cannot see you like this." _Ziva tensed up at first, but then relaxed into his embrace, allowing herself to be comforted in a way she had never been comforted before. It reminded her of the way her mother used to rock her as a child, long before any accidents or bombings occurred. When she was still an innocent, carefree little girl.

"He always hated me after that. No matter what I did to prove myself to him, I was never good enough. I have spent my entire life trying to make up for an accident that occurred when I was twelve," Ziva admitted in a hoarse whisper. "I just want him to forgive me."

With that, Ziva shut her eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath, leaning her head back against Tony's shoulder.

Tony, who had remained silent throughout Ziva's heartbreaking explanation, planted a soft kiss on the side of her head, not knowing what to say to make her feel better. He had no joke or movie reference for this kind of thing. As he stared out the mouth of the cave, he noticed the rain beginning to let up.

"Ziva, I know you're a tough, ass-kicking, Mossad assassin, and you don't like to talk about your feelings and stuff like that. But if you ever feel like sharing, or need someone to vent to, I'm always here. I'm a good listener," he smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood with his last statement, though he whole-heartedly meant what he said.

Ziva simply turned her head and looked up at him, giving him a soft, half-smile and a brief nod before returning her head to the crook of his neck.

"Look, Sweetcheeks. The rain is starting to let up. Maybe we do have a shot at making it back to the car before dark."

**Mehh…. Whaddya think? Tell it to me straight. I have a hard time writing the more emotional, touchy-feely stuff. Especially trying to keep them both in character.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Things are crazzzy at work. This chapter's kinda filler-ish, but I promise next chapter with be good, especially in terms of Tiva-ness. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed! Your ideas and encouragement are wonderful (shout-out to VivaZiva for the piggy-back idea). Anyway, hope you like it… even if you don't, por favor review!**

**Disclaimer: NCIS no es mio**

**Ya! Empecemos!**

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"Alrighty, Zi, let's get this show on the road," Tony exclaimed as the rain finally stopped.

"Tony, there is no road… We are in the middle of the forest. And what show?" Ziva muttered tiredly, confused over yet another American idiom.

"Sweetcheeks, it's just a saying. It means let's go!"

She was comfortable leaning against Tony's shoulder and didn't want to have to walk again, but she knew if they were going to make it back to the car by dark, they would have to leave now. "Fine, Tony. We shall go," she conceded, pushing off of Tony's lap with a wince as she put pressure on her bad wrist and twisted her bruised, possibly broken, ribs.

"Easy does it, ninja. Wait here a sec, I've got an idea." Tony gently eased his way from behind his partner, careful not to jostle any of her injuries as he slipped his backpack out from under Ziva's leg.

"Here, I need you to carry this. It's not too heavy, right?" he asked, making his way around to Ziva's back and placing the straps on her shoulders.

"No it is not too heavy, but why will you not carry it? Will we not go faster with you carrying the extra weight?" Ziva shot him a questioning face.

"Well, seeing as I'll be carrying you, I'd say that qualifies as the extra weight," Tony replied cheekily as he bent down to help Ziva to a standing position.

"Tony, that is unnecessary, I can—"

"Sweetcheeks, don't even waste your breath arguing. We have officially an hour and a half to cover 4 miles, and while I am fully aware that you are capable to covering the distance, I also know that you would be more comfortable hitching a ride on my back, and we will make better time."

Ziva grunted in consent as she reached her feet and leaned against Tony's chest for balance.

"Zi, I'm turning around now. Try and lock your arms around my neck," he requested, rotating his body slowly in an attempt not to knock his partner off-balance.

He gently leaned forward with Ziva's arms secured around his neck and swiftly lifted her up from the back, gripping her muscular thighs with ease. Normally, DiNozzo would make a cheeky comment about their current bodily positions, Ziva's front to his back, his hands merely inches from her butt, but given their present situation, he decided that avoiding a pissed off, hurt Ziva was probably more beneficial to them both.

As the started off, at a pace that Ziva had to admit, was indeed much more rapid than their previous gait, and Tony began to ramble about how this reminded him of a scene in some action movie or another, Ziva zoned out, left to her thoughts as her partner's easy chatter provided a comforting background noise.

"_I cannot believe I accepted Tony's help like this. This is ridiculous, I am capable of walking. But I suppose this is more efficient. And we do not have time to waste. And this is not so bad…" _she thought as she noticed the toned muscle of Tony's back and mid-section. _"Wow, he must be working out. I am impressed. Harah! Ziva, you should not be thinking this way. This is the way DiNozzo thinks._

_Hmm, Tony did not even make a snide comment about this situation. Odd. Maybe he has matured in the past 3 hours. Ha, who am I goating…no, calfing?....Some baby animal…. He just pities me. Pathetic. But nice, I suppose. I think Tony might actually care about me. As a person. He was surprisingly comforting in the cave. It felt… good." _Ziva surprised herself with this thoughts. Accepting comfort from another person felt good? When did she become so soft? But it was Tony. She was comfortable with Tony. He was her best friend, she realized.

"_Yet I know almost nothing about him. Lie. I know all about the women he brings home every weekend. And roughly every movie he has seen in the past decade. And that he takes his coffee with a disgusting amount of sugar. And when he lies, in addition to looking town and to the left, his right ear twitches slightly. And when he thinks I am not looking, he sneaks glances at my ass. I let him get away with it because I do not mind so much. _

_But I do not know anything about his past. And he now knows more about my childhood than anyone I have ever dated, actually anyone besides my father, on this planet. I will ask him about it. Maybe it will make the time go faster."_

"Tony, tell me about yourself," she abruptly cut him off, mid-sentence recounting the plot of yet another action, rescue film.

Tony grunted, surprised at his partner's question, "Whaddya wanna know, Zi? I'd say you know me pretty well. We've been partners for over a year now."

"Yes, Tony, I know you like everything but mushrooms on your pizza, and that you keep two pairs of boxers in your top drawer, yet only one set of clothes; that you hate to swim, but love to run; but I know nothing of importance, like you now know about me. Tell me about your childhood. What were your parents like?" she probed, briefly flashing back to a moment almost a year ago, trapped in the metal container when Tony first asked her about her father.

"I didn't have parents. I hatched," Tony smiled cheekily, really not wanting to have the conversation. He looked over his should, only to be met with Ziva's "I can kill you with office supplies and leave no trace" glare, and he knew she wasn't in the mood to joke.

"Fine, what do you wanna know?"

"I do not know. Anything. You know more about my childhood than my own mother. Tell me something interesting."

"Well," he started off hesitantly, "My dad and I never really got along. And my mom left us when I was a kid… probably was the smart thing to do married to bastard like that. Anyway, there isn't a specific event that tore apart my relationship with my dad.

More like a series. I suppose I was always letting him down, choosing to pursue sports instead of school work, going to a public university instead of a private Ivy League. I think I reminded him of my mom, she was always more down-to-earth, less caught up in the high class world we lived in that he obsessed over," Tony sighed, waiting for Ziva to respond. When she didn't, he continued.

"I remember once when I was 12, I chose to play in our championship basketball game, instead of attending his boss's Christmas party. Dad drank a little too much and came home a little too angry. We got into an argument that left me more or less unconscious. That was the night he basically disowned me," Tony finished quietly.

Not knowing quite what to say—Ziva was never very good with expressing emotion through words—she wrapped her arms more tightly around his neck and dropped her chin to his shoulder, attempting some form of an awkward embrace.

The pair stayed like that for a little while, as Tony continued on their way back to the car.

Ziva suddenly caught a flash of moving color between the trees. Whatever the object was seemed to be slowly coming towards them.

"Tony, do you see that? It looks like a jacket of some sort. There's another person here! Maybe they can help us."

"Not likely, Zi. I have a bad feeling that jacket is our bad guy."


	5. Chapter 5

**Buenas! Sorry for the long wait… I could blame it on work, but the truth is I had a hard time coming up with a realistic situation for the chapter. Less Tiva than I had hoped for… I'm still not completely pleased with it. But I hope this suffices. It's a bit short. Hope ya like it! Please review!**

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"Tony, why do you automatically assume that is our bad guy?" Ziva questioned, more concerned with getting to the car in a timely fashion than catching their delinquent druggie— a sure sign of her increasing pain as the aspirin wore off.

"Because Zi, we are deep in the middle of nowhere. There is no trail for miles, and it's nearing sundown. Who in their right minds, besides a criminal on the run, or someone with a death wish, would be out here at this time?" Tony retorted, trying to come up with a plan for capturing their target quickly, before he caught sight of them.

"Ok, I've got it. Ziva, I need you to pretend to be hurt. Which shouldn't be too hard, considering you are hurt. But I need you to get the attention of this guy and hold it. While he's distracted by you, I'll sneak up behind him and cuff him. It's infallible." Tony puffed out his chest a bit, proud of his quick thinking.

"Tony, you want me to lie on the forest floor, incapacitated, at the mercy of a runaway felon? And not think thrice about it?"

"It's actually only twice. And yes."

"Fine. I will do it. But I am keeping my weapons accessible."

"Fine by me, ninja. Now let's get a move on. We don't have much time," Tony said, making his way over to a fallen tree to set Ziva down. "You comfortable, Sweetcheeks?"

"Absolutely, Hairy Butt," Ziva grunted through clenched teeth as she readjusted herself, trying to lessen the pain in her ribs.

"Good. I'd say we have about 3 minutes before our dealer comes this way. Try to get his attention before then. I'll be hiding behind those trees over there," Tony decided, pointing behind them, before crouching down and shuffling to his hiding spot.

"Help! Help!" Ziva cried, trying to sound as desperate as possible—a difficult task for a usually unshakable assassin. "Anyone! Help!" she continued to yell, hoping their criminal would fall for their trick and she could get back to the city soon.

About a minute into her screaming charade, Ziva heard footsteps coming closer, followed by a, "Stay where you are! I'll come to you! Keep yelling!"

Tony popped his head out just enough to make eye contact with Ziva and wink at her, letting her know she had done a good job.

Another 30 seconds later, Ziva's latest cry for help was cut off by a large man, about 6'2, 200 lbs, sporting a blue rain jacket, stepping into the clearing.

"Oh, I am so glad you found me. I tripped over a tree root and twisted my ankle and cannot seem to put any weight on it," Ziva exclaimed in false relief as the man in the blue jacket approached her.

"Well, I think I can help a pretty lady like yourself. My name's Austin. Let's take a look," he replied with a somewhat creepy smile as he began to roll up the leg of Ziva's pants. Ziva wanted so badly to punch the grin off of his face, but she knew she could not blow her cover just yet.

At the statement of his name— Austin— DiNozzo began to emerge from his hiding spot. The creepy punk _was_ their guy! Tony crouched down and began approaching the pair with his gun drawn. All the while, Ziva chattered away about her "camping trip" in the woods, claiming she was separated from her family.

Tony was about 10 feet away from Ziva and Austin when all of a sudden Austin released his grip on Ziva's leg, dropping it with a thump and whipped a gun out from the depths of his jacket, aiming it at DiNozzo.

"You didn't think I would be that easy, did you?" Austin snarled at Tony as Ziva bit back a gasp of pain as a shocking jolt ran through her right leg. "I saw you two 200 meters before you spotted me. Now put down your gun, or else I'll shoot both you and your pretty little partner," he threatened Tony, his back to Ziva.

"I do not think that would be very wise, Austin," Ziva stated calmly, her gun now drawn and aimed at her target's head as he whipped around in surprise. "You are already in trouble for trafficking drugs, do you really think shooting a federal agent will help you?"

"Put down your gun, Austin. We don't want to shoot you. Ziva's right, you are already in deep enough shit with this drug business. Don't add assaulting a federal agent to your record," Tony negotiated, suddenly feeling strangely protective of his hurt partner.

"All the more reason to shoot you. I'm already going to prison for the next 30 years. Why not just make it life?" Austin retorted, turning around quickly. Faster than Tony could recite all 7 names of Snow White's dwarves, Austin flipped the safety switch of his gun and pulled the trigger.

_Bang! Bang! Thud._

**I promise I will update again by Sunday. As for the Snow White reference… sorry about that… I suppose that's what happens when you spend 50 hours a week with people all under the age of 6. Couldn't think of anything not Disney-related. Pathetic.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! So I told ya I'd update by Sunday, so here it is. Not perfect… I think I went a little OOC with the two, but at least it's longer than the last chapter! I'm thinking one or two more chapters, then perhaps a sequel? Or epilogue? I don't know, what do you guys think?**

**Anyway, hope you like this chapter! Please review!**

**Disclaimer: NCIS, not mine.**

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_Bang! Bang! Thud._

Ziva panicked as she saw Tony go down a few seconds after Austin had collapsed a foot away from her, as a result of her kill-shot to the head.

"Tony! Are you okay? Harah, answer me, Tony!" Ziva tried to remain calm, but was quickly becoming more and more nervous as her partner refused to answer her. "Tony!"

"Ughhh, what's with the shrieking, Frau Blucher? Did I scare ya, Sweetcheeks?" Tony smirked, gingerly pushing himself off the ground, slightly favoring his left arm.

"Well excuse me for worrying that my partner could possibly be dead, Tony! Next time I hear two gunshots and see you go down, I will remember not to care!" Ziva replied huffily, coming out of her panicked state. _Why must he joke about everything? I thought he was dead. _

"Sorry for scaring you, ninja. I didn't mean to. But I'm fine," Tony replied, walking over to Ziva and crouching down beside her. _Geez, I didn't think she cared that much. She was really worked up._

"I was not scared, Tony. Merely worried that without you, I would not find my way out of here," Ziva quickly covered up, ashamed for showing such emotion towards her partner.

Tony just cocked an eyebrow, silently saying he didn't believe her excuse.

"And you are my partner. I don't want to lose you," confessed Ziva quietly, suddenly finding great interest in the small pebbles beneath her hands on the ground.

"I don't want to lose you either, Sweetcheeks, which is why we better get you back to the car soon," Tony said, kissing her forehead while wrapping his arms around her waist to help her stand.

"Tony, you are bleeding. You are not fine," Ziva noticed a patch of blood on the shoulder of his jacket.

"Just a graze wound, ninja. Nothing to worry about," Tony shrugged off his injury, downplaying how much it actually stung.

"Put me down and take off your jacket. Let me see it," Ziva stubbornly replied, her concern for her partner immediately returning as she saw him grimace as he stiffly removed the jacket.

"See, mom? Nothing to worry about. A few stitches, and it'll be as good as new."

Ziva was relieved to find it really was nothing more than a graze wound. Though it was bleeding profusely, the bullet had done no major damage, aside from leaving a nasty cut on Tony's upper arm.

"Here, rip off part of my shirt to wrap it," she offered, gesturing to the hem of her green cotton top.

"Zi, it's fine—"

"Tony, just do it. Please."

Tony ripped off a two inch thick strip of cotton from the bottom of Ziva's top and tried unsuccessfully to wrap it around his injured arm.

"Let me help you, come here," Ziva stated as she witnessed his struggle. Using both her good hand and bad one, she stiffly wrapped his injury, tied the two ends of the "bandage" off. "There, that should make it. Just try not to move too much."

"That should do it. Not make it. And thanks, ninja. Now let's move! We'll send Gibbs back to recover the body once we make it to the car." With that, Tony helped Ziva to stand and maneuvered her onto his back, both wincing slightly as they jostled their respective injuries.

"We've got about a mile to go. Let's go."

The pair set off in silence, both exhausted from the day, concentrating only on getting back to the car safely, sans any other incident.

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_Tony really scared me earlier. I have never reacted that way when a partner was in danger. America has made me soft. Maybe it is just Tony. I cannot deny that I care about him. Maybe more than just a partner. Oh no… Ziva, you did not just admit that. But I think it is true. Benzona… I am tripping for Tony DiNozzo._

_I must stop. He obviously will not return my sentiments. Or maybe he shall. He was awfully caring earlier today. No, he was just concerned because I am his partner. Or maybe not. We shall see…_

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_Thank god we only have a mile to go! I need to get Ziva to a hospital. I'm sure her leg is killing her. She won't admit it, but I know she's in pain. Her face is pale and her eyes give it away. Plus she way overreacted at the whole shooting incident. What was that about? I'm sure she just panicked because she doesn't feel well. In her situation I guess I would panic too. _

_God, I don't want to think about that… Ziva being shot at. That would suck. She's like my best friend. And my partner. And maybe more… DiNozzo, snap out of it! Ziva's your partner and friend, nothing more. She doesn't like you any more than Phoebe likes Chandler on Friends. But they did kiss in that one episode… right? Besides the point. But maybe she does feel more for me… she did freak out earlier. But Zi's special. I don't want to blow our friendship. I don't know, I'll just play it by ear I guess._

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Both partners were too lost in thought to realize they had arrived back at the car already. It wasn't until Ziva looked up from her gaze, unintentionally fixated on Tony's shoulder wound, and let out a sigh of relief that the two noticed their location.

"Finally! We're here! Let's get you in the car, Sweetcheeks. Then we'll call Gibbs and let him know what happened," Tony exclaimed as he dug around his jacket pocket for the keys, momentarily releasing his grip on Ziva's leg.

He made is way around to the backdoor and after auto-unlocking the car, gently slipped Ziva onto the bench in the back, going around to the other side to help slide her over so that when he closed the door, her back would be resting against it and her leg outstretched on the seat.

"Comfortable, Zi?" Tony grinned at his partner, genuinely relieved that everything would be okay now.

Ziva simply grunted and nodded, her eyes closed as she unsuccessfully attempted to fight off a much needed sleep.

"Glad to hear it. We'll be at the hospital in about twenty minutes. It's ok to sleep, ninja. I'll wake you when we get there," he smiled, absent-mindedly stroking her hair. Of course when he realized what he was doing, he immediately pulled back, watching nervously for a reaction from his partner. Instead of making some smart remark about keeping his hands to himself, she simply kept her eyes closed and smiled softly. Tony smiled back, despite her not being able to see him.

He shut both doors and went around to the driver's seat. After starting the car and maneuvering it back onto the main road, he finally paid the bossman and long awaited call.

"DiNozzo, what the hell? I haven't heard from you all day? Did you get Austin?" Gibbs all but screamed into the phone.

"Yeah, Boss. We got him. He's dead about a mile into the forest from our initial starting point. Not too hard to find, but I'll give you more detailed directions later. Ziva took a tumble out of a tree and I'm pretty sure she snapped her fibia and tibula, as well as did some pretty good damage to her ribs and wrist, so I'm driving her to the hospital right now," he said as he glanced at his sleeping partner in the rearview mirror. Even in sleep, he could tell she was hurting.

"Okay, DiNozzo. Good work. Call me once she's settled."

"Will do, Boss," Tony replied, expecting Gibbs to do his signature "hang up without saying bye right after he's gotten all the information he needs".

But Gibbs threw him a surprise, "Take care of her, DiNozzo" before hanging up abruptly in his usual style.

Tony answered to nobody, "Will do, Boss. Will do."

**Review, porfis (pretty please)! Your opinion matters!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! So here's the last chapter. Be sure to read the A/N at the bottom for info on a continuing story. This one's a long one… maybe a little ramble-y (that's what happens when I've gone so many nights with 4 hours of sleep a night… haha), but I hope you like it. Please review!!**

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed the past chapters! Your ideas and opinions are very encouraging!**

**Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine**

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Twenty minutes and about 12 different traffic violations later, DiNozzo pulled up to the closest hospital, Lincoln Memorial, with a sleeping Ziva still quiet in the backseat.

After parking the car in the closest spot he could find in the emergency parking lot, Tony undid his seatbelt and got out of the car, walking around to open the back door.

"Sweetcheeks, we're here. At the hospital. Time to wake up," he said while softly stroking her cheek, afraid if he touched her elsewhere it might cause her more pain.

Ziva simply twisted her body in reply and let out a small whimper, the effects of sleep masking her usual Superwoman bravado.

Instead of prodding her even more to awake her, Tony decided it would be faster and less painful to carry her into the ER. She would wake up in due time, anyway. Emergency rooms are not quiet places.

He gently placed one arm behind her shoulders, leaning her head against his good shoulder as he winced and put his left arm under her knees, lifting her swiftly into the air and kicking the door shut. "_I have to remember to apologize to her later… my baby doesn't like to be kicked." _He thought to himself.

As Tony walked the short distance to the mouth of the ambulance bay, Ziva began to awake, her face first showing disorientation, then pain, then suddenly nothing at all. Tony noticed them all. "_Ah, those Mossad instincts must have kicked in" _he thought as he saw her final wall go up.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Ziva questioned as the pair crossed the threshold into the hospital.

"Well Zee-vah, you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up. Plus it's faster this way. Look, we're already in the ER."

With that, he gestured to a nearby nurse for a wheelchair and sat Ziva down once it arrived. They explained her injuries to the nurse, who promptly whisked Ziva away to have a CT scan done while Tony was left with the paperwork.

_Name. Easy. Ziva Belen Mariana David. Age: 29. Birthday: 11/12/1977. Address, Phone Number, Insurance… check, check, check. Medical history? Shit. I don't know. I'm sure she's had plenty of hospital visits… she has never mentioned any of her past missions though. Allergies? Don't know. I should know that one. Family history of disease? Right. I don't even know her family history. Much less their bodily functionings. Wow, there's a lot about Ziva I don't know. And I bet she knows all this about me. Super ninja spy powers. I've known her for 2 years now. I should know this stuff…._

Tony continued to fill out the forms to the best of his ability, slightly upset with himself for not being able to contribute more to the encyclopedia of information the hospital seemed to require.

As he was finishing up checking off the last few boxes of an employer insurance form, the nurse who had helped them earlier popped her head out of the door that led to the waiting room.

"Mr. DiNozzo?" she asked tentatively. When Tony looked up she gave him a half smile and informed him the Ziva was out of x-ray if he wanted to wait with her. "Room 5, on your left."

Tony gave her his thanks and made his way down the hall. He paused before the open door of what he assumed to be room five and took a deep breath, preparing the most realistic fake "DiNozzo" smile he could muster.

"Hey there, Sweetcheeks. How ya doing?" He grinned as he walked in, finding his partner in a hospital gown, lying somewhat awkwardly on a gurney, staring at the wall in front of her. Her legs were uncovered and for the first time since the initial accident, Tony saw her leg and once again had to fight back bile rising in his throat. It was now twice its normal size and the color of an eggplant, mismatched bones poking at the skin surrounding them.

"Just handy, Tony," she snapped back, not caring that she had just butchered yet another stupid American idiom.

Tony was briefly taken aback by her response, but quickly covered it up with yet another charming smile. However, he was not quick enough for Ziva's hawk-like observation skills. She noticed the brief flash of hurt cross his features and realized she was probably too harsh.

"Sorry, Tony. That was a bit harsh. I am just a little granky. They refuse to give me pain meds until they set my leg, which they cannot do until the radiologist reads my x-rays," Ziva supplied remorsefully.

"Don't apologize, Sweetcheeks. Sign of weakness. And I get it, you're in pain. By the way, you're either cranky or grumpy. Not granky," he smiled slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

"And you will be dead in 30 seconds if you do not leave my English alone," she snapped, only this time good-naturedly.

"Yes, ma'am," Tony saluted, just as the doctor came through the doorway.

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"Ms. David?" the young man questioned looking from his chart to Ziva, and back to the chart again.

"Dah-veed. And yes?" Ziva responded quickly, not too peeved at the mispronunciation. Happened all the time here.

"I am Dr. Stevens. I've read your x-rays and I have some good news and some bad news. Good news. You won't be needing surgery on your leg and your wrist is only sprained. Bad news, you seem to have fractured 2 of your ribs in addition to your tibia and fibula. We're gonna put your leg in a plaster cast in just a little while that you'll have to wear for the next 8 weeks.

We'll wrap your ribs and wrist in ace bandages. You will have to keep your ribs wrapped for two weeks and your wrist for one. You will be on bed rest for the next week, so I hope you have someone who can help you around the house. After that, you will be on crutches for the next month until your next check-up, when we will check your progress to see about putting weight on your leg. Any questions?" he rattled off, obviously pressed for time.

"Just one. My stubborn partner here was shot earlier and has not sought any medical attention. Can you send someone in to check on him?" Ziva requested as she shot Tony a pointed look. Tony simply glared back.

"Of course, Ms. David. I'll have a nurse come in with paperwork for him as well as a suture kit. The orthopedist will be in shortly to wrap your injuries."

With that the young doctor left to attend the countless other patients that had stacked up in the ER.

Tony stuck his tongue out at Ziva. "That was totally unnecessary, Zee-vah. I can take care of myself."

"Tony, if that were true, why is your arm not bandaged and cleaned by now? It could get infected. Stop complaining, you are giving me a headache," Ziva retorted, not wanting to put up with her immature partner at the moment.

The two sat in silence, Ziva resting uncomfortably on the gurney, closing her eyes in an effort to block out the throbbing pain radiating from her right leg, and Tony perched in a hard, plastic seat by her bedside, hands in his lap.

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A different nurse came in to deliver more paperwork and stitch Tony's arm up.

Ziva tried not to stare as Tony removed his shirt so Nurse Adams could better access the cut on his shoulder. _He has definitely been working out… Ziva! Stop it. Inappropriate._

As the nurse disinfected the wound and administered the local into the open cut, Tony barely flinched, trying his hardest to fight back the pain, knowing Ziva was twice as uncomfortable as he was.

After she finished stitching together his broken skin and bandaging the wound, Nurse Adams gathered her supplies to leave. "Mr. DiNozzo, I'll leave you the finish up your paperwork, just drop it by the nurses' station when you're finished," the older brunette requested, scurrying out the room.

Tony replaced his shirt and began filling out the paperwork in silence, as Ziva simply watched him.

"Do I have paperwork, as well, Tony?" Ziva pondered after a few moments.

"Nope. Took care of it. Mostly. There's a lot of stuff I don't know about you, Ms. David. But the nurse said it wasn't important. I knew the important stuff." Tony looked up from his forms with a smile.

"Thank you, Tony. That was nice of you. What did you not know?" Ziva implored, knowing full well that she had many secrets of which Tony knew nothing about. In all honesty, she was just bored and wanted to keep up conversation.

"You know, allergies, medical history, family stuff…" Tony drifted off towards the end. "You know, you never did finish telling me about—"

His inquiry was cut off by the entry of the orthopedic surgeon, a tall redheaded female in her late 30s. "_Just Gibbs' type," _Tony smirked to himself.

"Ms. David?"

Ziva just sighed, "Dah-veed."

"Right. Ms. Dah-veed, I'm here to set your leg in a cast and wrap your ribs and wrist. I'm Dr. Martin. I'm going to do your leg first. This will be painful, I have to realign the bones. Perhaps your friend can hold your hand."

Ziva simply looked tiredly at Tony, not really caring if he held her hand or not. She had been through much worse alone.

Tony smiled at her slightly and rose from his seat. He moved so he was standing directly above her head and took both of her hands in his. "Scared, ninja?" he tried to distract her.

"In your sleep, DiNozzo."

"Dreams, David. In your dreams," he corrected playfully as he saw the doctor change the positioning of her hands. Knowing the painful part was about to come, Tony kicked it into high gear with the distracting. He started rambling about the plot of the latest James Bond movie and how Ziva had to come over sometime to watch it. It could be a movie night, he offered.

Ziva smiled tightly and nodded at his proposal as they both heard a sickening pop and Ziva's grip tightened considerably and she fought both the urge to vomit and cry out in pain.

"It's ok, Sweetcheeks. That's it. She's done," Tony whispered encouragingly in Ziva's ear as he removed one of his hands from her death grip to stroke her hair as his mother had done for him when he broke his arm when he was four.

Ziva fought to regain her composure as Dr. Martin began to plaster her leg. She was still breathing heavily with her eyes closed as Tony planted a soft, impromptu kiss on her forehead.

"That's for being a brave ninja," he playfully smirked. Ziva tried to muster up a smile in response.

Dr. Martin quickly finished up her leg and requested that Tony leave the room while she wrapped Ziva's ribs, seeing as Ziva would have to take off her shirt.

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Tony took the opportunity to call Gibbs, realizing the boss had been left out of the loop for the better part of the last 3 hours.

"Gibbs," he answered sharply.

"Hey Boss. I'm just calling you to give you an update on Ziva. Broken tibia and fibula, cracked ribs, sprained wrist. She's on bed rest for the next week. Can't stay by herself. I can stay at her apartment. It's close to mine, so it won't be a problem. I mean, if that's ok with you…." Tony stuttered, trying not to sound too eager.

"Yeah DiNozzo, that's a good partner. But you had better remember Rule 12. Otherwise I'll head slap you both so hard your brains end up in Sri Lanka. Did you get your injury checked out?" Gibbs questioned bluntly.

Tony just gaped. _"How did he know about that? He's Gibbs. Don't question it." _"Yeah, Boss. I'm fine. Just a few stitches. Um, did you want the directions to Austin's body?"

"Don't worry about it DiNozzo. Already found it. Take care of yourselves. Call to check in tomorrow." With that, he hung up sharply… _typical._

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Tony wandered back into Ziva's room as he saw Dr. Martin exit. Ziva looked more comfortable, eyes closed, sitting up slightly with a blanket covering the majority of her body. Tony figured they finally gave her painkillers… _"she certainly deserves them,"_ he thought.

As she opened her eyes, Tony flashed her the first real smile he had procured all day. "Guess what, Sweetcheeks? We're roomies."

**End.**

**Thanks for reading! I'm pretty sure I'm gonna write a sequel… already got a few ideas. Please give me your input on this story and what you'd like in the next one. Everything's still very tentative, so I'm definitely open to ideas!**


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